Ever since Senator Susan Collins got a hall pass from Mitch McConnell to dodge the political consequences of voting to confirm Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, her fellow Republicans have been celebrating her newfound opportunity to try and take credit for feigned independence without actually doing anything to stop his partisan power grab.

 

Republican operatives and even her fellow Senators know that Collins’ stance is nothing more than a craven political calculation, but they’re hoping she can pull the wool over Mainers’ eyes just long enough to get reelected.

 

Read what Senator Collins’ GOP allies in Washington are saying about her latest political maneuver:

 

National Journal: SCOTUS fight bookends Collins’s fraught reelection race

 

Republican strategists told National Journal they’re hoping the vacancy creates an opportunity for Collins to get the best of both worlds, but that would be possible only if she navigates her messaging correctly. 

 

One of those GOP strategists pointed to a recent story from the Portland Press Herald that ran with the headline, “Trump attacks Collins over Supreme Court nomination timeline,” arguing it could help her appeal in Maine’s liberal anchor.

 

Trump as recently as Wednesday confirmed that he is considering only women for the post. Republicans hope Collins could earn plaudits for opposing the nomination on procedural grounds while appealing to conservatives by offering qualitative praise of the prospective justice.

 

The Hill: Susan Collins faces political land mine with Supreme Court fight

 

“The political dynamics of her state are very different than most of our people who are running this year and she has navigated them beautifully through the years, and so we kind of defer to her and trust her judgment,” said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 GOP senator. 

 

A GOP official added that while the looming Supreme Court vote would put some GOP senators like Collins in a “tougher situation,” it could also give her the chance to show off her independence from both McConnell and Trump. “Two sides of the coin here: It’s one that energizes the Democratic base … but if you’re someone like Susan Collins it could give you the opportunity to show you are someone who is not beholden by the party,” the official said.

 

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